2004 Buick Rendezvous

Tiny
RBIGUY21
  • MEMBER
  • 2004 BUICK RENDEZVOUS
  • 6 CYL
  • AWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 100,000 MILES
I have a 2004 Buick RendezVous that after about a month or so of replacing the front brake pads it started to squeak when pushing on the brakes. It appears it is only squeaking when you first brake and as you apply more pressure it will eventually go away, but it is a HIGH PITCHED squeak. The pads are still fine and not warn and the rotors appear to be OK, but they may need replaced as well I suppose. Also, around the same time the AWD Disable light started to come on and stays on all the time as well, so I don't know if this is a related issue or not. All of the wiring for the connectors to the wheel sensors appear to be ok for the AWD computer, but it still kicks on the AWD disable light the moment you turn the car on. If you could help with either of these problems it would be appreciated since I have pretty much exhausted all of the things that I can think it would be that is causing these problems.
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Wednesday, September 29th, 2010 AT 12:17 PM

8 Replies

Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
Hi RBIGuy21,

Thank you for the donation.

The squealing brakes is due to the brake pads and the most likely cause is the quality of the pads used. Some pads would emit a squealing noise when new and as time goes by, the squeal would go away. Some would not go away and cleaning the pads might work.

As to the AWD Disable light on, get a scan done to see if any trouble codes are present.

Seems this is quite a common problem and there are many possible causes apart from corroded witring connectors.
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Wednesday, September 29th, 2010 AT 1:50 PM
Tiny
RBIGUY21
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Ok, thanks for the quick reply on the issue. I will make sure and get the car scanned to see what codes may come out of it if any.

As for the brake pads, what is the OEM standard on this model vehicle (Semi-Metallic, Ceramic). I am not sure what the pads that I replaced were, but I am pretty sure they were a "cheap" purchase and like you said cheaper is not always better. I just want to make sure to get the same that would be OEM or do you recommend going through the dealership to get them to make sure and get the right material pads?
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Wednesday, September 29th, 2010 AT 3:04 PM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
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  • 41,814 POSTS
I could not find any information pertaining to the OEM standard for the brake pads but ceramic pads are seldom on the list for OEM, unless it is a high performance vehicle.

It is not the material type but rather the brand used. The dealer would be the best choice for brake pads but there are some after brands that are good as well. Some are even more pricey than dealers. OEM parts is listed at $ 102.00. One brand that I would recommend is Bendix.

Let me know the outcome of the scan so we can proceed with diagnosis and rectification to the AWD indicator light problem.
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Thursday, September 30th, 2010 AT 12:51 PM
Tiny
RBIGUY21
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  • 4 POSTS
Ok. Thanks for checking. I will look into getting a better quality pad and see if that helps with the brake issue.
I plan to try and get the computer scanned tonight to see about codes, but I have had quite a busy work schedule, so we will see if I can work it into the schedule to get it done and I will defenitely let you know what is found since I would like to get this issue resolved before the snow season hits for the AWD feature.
I will be back in touch with you.
Thanks
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Thursday, September 30th, 2010 AT 3:11 PM
Tiny
RBIGUY21
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Ok. Took the car to get the codes scanned at the transmission shop and he claimed that the car "would not communicate" with the code scanner and he was not able to get it to spit out any codes and would need more time to troubleshoot since it could be a wire or any number of things. Is this legit or should I try to take it to the dealership to have them look at it rather then the transmission shop? How could his code scanner be "not communicating" with the car that is clearly spitting out the AWD disable light?
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Monday, October 4th, 2010 AT 8:39 AM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
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Either the scanner that he has is not compatible or there is a fault in the wiring circuit of the vehicle.

Try a different scanner and see if it works. Autozone provides free scanning services, maybe they can help.
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Monday, October 4th, 2010 AT 10:04 AM
Tiny
RBIGUY21
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Went to autozone first and he said that they are not able to scan the system for the AWD light coming on and he referred us to the transmission shop to have them do it. The guy at autozone actually plugged his in and said that he was not getting any codes and then when I said the AWD Disable light was coming on he said that you need a different scanner to do that and refferred me to the transmission shop and then he told me it was not "communicating" with it.
Do I need to check the wires that go to all the wheels for a faulty wire or is it more extensive then that?
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Monday, October 4th, 2010 AT 10:21 AM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
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There seems to be quite a number of cases of this occurring and no codes were retrieved.

Since problem started after brakes work, yes, you should check if the wheel sensors are ok. The ABS system can induce the AWD indicator light to turn on.

It could also be due to corrosion/contamination of wire connectors and one area to look for would be between the body pass through, under vehicle behind the driver seat.
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Monday, October 4th, 2010 AT 3:30 PM

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